Fascinated and frightened by the thought of whitewater kayaking, Alastair McDowell embraces his fears (and excitement) to join his mates on a weekend packrafting trip in Mt Cook. After his partner's paddle breaks, Alastair gets thrown in at the deep end and learns the art of navigation.
Emily Forne and friends attempt a combination of mountaineering and packrafting: six days by foot and raft from head of Lake Tekapo out to the Rakaia River.
Its a fundamental skill, which every packrafter needs to master very early in their paddling career.
Anne Taylor from the Southland Tramping Club explains why you should get some proper training before heading out on your own packrafting adventures.
Penzy Dinsdale offers us a few thoughts about Aquanauting in the Otago Uni Tramping Club (OUTC)
Alpine tops, grade 2 rapids, southern ocean and two perfectly calm crossings of Hauroko, the "Lake of the sounding wind". Jamie McAuly had a dream trip by all accounts...
A remote West Coast river, packrafting, rain, a lack of information about paddling descents; for Chris Abel, it was hard to think of more exciting ingredients for an adventure.
On Christmas Eve we set off from the West Arm of Lake Manapouri with around a weeks’ worth of food, packrafting and tramping gear, a bunch of TOPO maps and loose plans to make it to Foveaux Strait. We had a small box of food delivered to Lake Roe Hut on the Dusky Track to pick on the way. For two weeks we linked together rivers, Fiords, lakes, some trails and a few different mountain ranges to make it to the Southern Ocean.
Two hard days to get over Emily Pass, and then a long day down the Okuru River to the ocean
Aimee Smith steps up from passenger to trip leader on a glorious paddle down the Clutha.
Hugh Canard reflects on a few past (mis)adventures which make him grateful for the modern packrafts we have these days.
Some adventures are planned, others present themselves unexpectedly. Otherwise known as (mini) epics, or type 2 (or three) fun, these adventures are often the memorable ones.
Traditionally, the Otaki gorge below Waitewaewae Hut was the domain of trampers with tyre tubes in low summer flows, and the occasional heli-kayaker when it been raining. Now, like many of the Tararua gorges, this is set to become a classic packrafting trip.
In the second part of a reflection on the first year of Packrafting; near the end of the year, the lessons finally sink in.
Dan Clearwater reflects back on his first year of Packrafting: recounting a few close calls and lessons learned the hard way.
The intrepid Emily Forne and friends complete their creative pack-raftiing loop in the wilds of South Westland
The intrepid Emily Forne and friends commit to an extended version of the Hollyford/Pyke packrafting classic.
The thing about packrafting is, that the whole experience is greater than the sum of the two parts. Join Dan Clearwater as he traverses the Opera Range and paddles the Waiau River.
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